Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC Takes $279,000 Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,548 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $279,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,164 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total value of $129,690.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 622 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,279.24. This represents a 63.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HIG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $129.71.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.7%

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded up $0.93 during trading on Thursday, reaching $130.15. 1,288,304 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,572,186. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $122.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $117.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $36.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.16 and a 52-week high of $132.09.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.74%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company Profile

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its Commercial Lines segment offers insurance coverages, including workers' compensation, property, automobile, general and professional liability, package business, umbrella, fidelity and surety, marine, livestock, accident, health, and reinsurance through regional offices, branches, sales and policyholder service centers, independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents, and reinsurance brokers.